With rising living costs and poor job security, Gen Z refuses to be chained to a paycheck-driven life in an economy in which it is increasingly difficult to succeed
Generation Z is the next cohort entering the working-age group, but our approach to work is dramatically different from the generations before us. While previous generations followed a simple path—finish school, get a degree, find a job and then work your way up—Generation Z faces a much different reality and set of challenges. The dream of a stable job, a good salary and a comfortable life after obtaining a degree is no longer as certain as it once was.
The economy today has changed dramatically, largely because of technology. With the rise of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, many jobs have become less secure.
Having a degree no longer guarantees a stable career, and in some cases, it doesn’t even guarantee a decent job. Because of this, Generation Z is looking for new ways to make money and create job security. Some of us are turning to remote work, others are exploring social media careers like being influencers and many are looking into marketing and digital jobs.
Having a degree no longer guarantees a stable career, and in some cases, it doesn’t even guarantee a decent job.
Another challenge we face is that the job market is becoming increasingly saturated. According to the Government of Canada, the number of job openings in the first quarter of 2024 was 3.6 per cent lower than in the previous quarter. In comparison to the first quarter of 2023, job vacancies fell in eight of the 10 broad occupational groups. The biggest drop in job openings from 2023 to 2024 was seen in sales and service jobs, which decreased by 33.6 per cent.
As a Generation Z university student, I know firsthand how easy it is to feel pressured to take on jobs outside of your career path and field. During the job-hunting season, typically from January to May, you can spend countless hours perfecting your resume and applying to as many jobs as possible, hoping to secure summer work.
But as the season winds down, especially for those of us about to graduate, frustration and desperation start to set in. After weeks of job applications, resume updates and a few interviews with no results, the pressure to just find any job grows.
In the end, many of us end up applying for positions outside our field or settling for part-time or temporary work simply because we need to pay the bills. This happens especially when inflation increases at a faster rate than the minimum wage, making it harder for us to maintain our expenses.
For example, in Ontario, the cost of living has been rising much faster than wages, making it harder for young people to afford basic living expenses. When inflation is higher than wage increases, it becomes much more difficult to make ends meet.
Besides the financial pressures, individuals of Generation Z also have a tendency to question old methods and traditions. Many of us are not convinced that working a traditional nine-to-five job is the best way to live. Many in this generation don’t want to spend most of their lives working just to pay off debt.
In today’s world, it’s not uncommon for people to be trapped in debt, working long hours without the chance to really enjoy life. The 2019 Canadian Financial Capability Survey found that 73.2 per cent of Canadians have some type of outstanding debt or have used a payday loan at some point over the past 12 months.
For some, this means sacrificing time with family or missing out on personal goals, like having children or spending time with them as they grow up. Many of us want to find a better balance between work and our personal lives. I personally worry at times about raising kids in a world where technology often replaces in-person connections.
Older generations may criticize Generation Z, labelling us as lazy or entitled, especially when comparing us to people in the past who worked traditional jobs. However, these criticisms don’t consider the many unique challenges we face today, such as rising living costs, job insecurity and a job market that is dynamic and complex like never before. While hard work, education and determination are still important, it’s clear that the traditional model of success no longer always applies.
While hard work, education and determination are still important, it’s clear that the traditional model of success no longer always applies.
It’s important to recognize that we are simply adapting to the world we live in. It is not that we are refusing to work; we are finding new ways to make money and seek security in a changing economy. The traditional idea of a job and career has changed, and it’s time to adjust to these new realities.
So, to those who criticize us, Generation Z does not want to work. Rather, we are facing unprecedented dynamics in the job market and challenges in making ends meet that are uniquely difficult to navigate. In light of this, our goal should be to find a balance between hard work and enjoying life while also exploring new ways to be successful and financially secure.
Youth unemployment to cost the Canadian economy $18.5 billion by 2034 if not effectively addressed, according to a report by the company Deloitte
Youth unemployment in Canada has surged to 14.2 per cent, the highest it’s been in a decade, according to a recent report by Deloitte, commissioned by King’s Trust Canada. The report highlights that over 850,000 Canadians aged 15 to 29 are unemployed and lack post-secondary education or training, a gap that could cost the Canadian economy $18.5 billion in GDP by 2034 and over $5 billion in lost government revenue.
Beyond economic consequences, the report outlines significant social costs. Youth who experience long-term unemployment are more likely to face mental health challenges and reduced quality of life.
King’s Trust Canada, a charity founded by King Charles III, aims to tackle barriers to youth employment. The organization provides free skills training, networking opportunities and work experience to help young people prepare for the workforce.
King's Trust CEO Farah Mohamed discussed the report's findings and potential implications for the future of Canada's youth and workforce.
"We can't afford to give up $18.5 billion to our GDP . . . we also have to look at the loss of government revenue. Over the next ten years, the government could be giving up $5 billion and just those two numbers alone combined with the fact that if you do nothing you're gonna lose 226,000 jobs . . . these are the data points that I think should wake people up," said Mohamed.
Over the next ten years, the government could be giving up $5 billion . . . if you do nothing you're gonna lose 226,000 jobs . . . these are the data points that I think should wake people up.
Farah Mohamed, CEO
King's Trust Canada
Mohamed also emphasized the normalized disparity in youth unemployment. “Youth unemployment is twice that of adult unemployment. It’s always been that way, but it’s not acceptable,” said Mohamed.
The report attributes the rising youth unemployment rate to a shortage of job opportunities. Mohamed notes that many entry-level position now require applicants to have an undefined degree and several years of prior experience, further creating challenges for young people to enter the workforce.
Younger people, particularly those seeking their first jobs with little to no prior experience, are facing the greatest challenge. In October 2024, Statistics Canada reported that the unemployment rate for Canadians aged 18 to 24 in October stood at 12.8 per cent, more than double the 5.4 per cent for adults aged 25 and older.
Mohamed said the employment gap is also driven by a lack of skills development. “Employers don’t have time to teach skills like resiliency, teamwork, creativity and communication, but they expect young people to have them,” said Mohamed.
Employers don’t have time to teach skills like resiliency, teamwork, creativity and communication, but they expect young people to have them.
Farah Mohamed, CEO
King's Trust Canada
Additionally, the report states that vulnerable groups, including individuals with disabilities, Indigenous peoples and racialized communities, face even higher unemployment rates.
Mohamed said addressing youth unemployment requires collaboration between governments and corporations. She called on the government to incentivize employers to hire young workers, update employment laws to reflect today’s job market and apply a youth-focused lens to policy decisions.
"The King's trust can do its work. But the report calls for all of us to do things differently," said Mohamed.
Mohamed also called for corporations to be a part of the solution.
"There's a need for corporations to really try to remove all the barriers that they put up for young people that prevent them from gaining the experience they need to build their careers," she said.
Nimra Rizvi, a fourth-year political science student at McMaster, shared their perspective on the challenges of youth unemployment. "Minimum wage jobs that you could have gotten so easily in high school are so competitive now," said Rizvi.
Minimum wage jobs that you could have gotten so easily in high school are so competitive now.
Nimra Rizvi, fourth-year political science student
McMaster University
Rizvi also pointed out the challenges of securing a job after graduating. "Growing up, you were told that a bachelor's degree would be enough to get you started in whatever field. But now you need a master's degree, you need more postgraduate education in order to get a job position," said Rizvi.
For students struggling to find current and future employment, the McMaster Student Success Centre provides support through career counselling. This service offers students the opportunity to work with career counsellors to develop effective job search strategies and create future plans, equipping them with the tools they need to thrive in their professional journey.
The Student Success Centre also offers workshops on financial literacy and hosts job fairs throughout the school year, providing students with opportunities to enhance their financial skills and connect with potential employers.
For more information on the report, visit the King's Trust Canada website.
Despite what students may think, McMaster’s restrictive AI guidelines will best prepare students for the workforce of tomorrow
McMaster’s AI advisors have not had an easy job dealing with the rise of AI. When Chat-GPT was first released for public use, the university had to quickly throw together provisional guidelines which were mostly prohibitive of the use of AI. Out of nowhere, a huge threat to honest academic work became available to all students giving the academic institutions little time to consider how to respond.
McMaster’s response has taken time, but the beginning of this year has marked the introduction of guidelines no longer considered provisional.
These guidelines are unpopular with many and the consulting process created rifts between the McMaster Students Union and the university administration. MSU president Jovan Popovic suggested that students need to be prepared to work with AI in a future workforce in which the use of AI is prevalent. Meanwhile, the university was greatly concerned about the significant risks that AI poses to university pedagogy by undermining student engagement with their coursework and learning
The final guidelines have fallen firmly on the side of mitigating educational risks, without a single mention of the AI skills that might be required for the future of work. While this may disappoint student union activists who fought for more permissive AI use, I think the guidelines’ are best for students entering the uncertain AI future.
The guidelines’ ultimate goal is to maintain the integrity of the university learning process. This process is one based on learning the methods relevant to any given field of study, rather than simple content-based learning. These processes are under threat by generative AI’s capabilities to produce text indistinguishable from that written by a human, to analyze data and to interpret primary sources.
AI’s abilities to do this work convincingly represents a fundamental threat to intellectual labour. The MSU’s position, informed by this belief, is that students need to familiarize themselves with using generative AI in order to prepare themselves for a workplace dominated by AI use. But this fails to account for experts' varied views on what a future with AI might look like.
Without denying its potential to change the landscape of work, MIT Sloan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's business school, has discussed what the direct impacts on workers might be. It suggests that subject-matter experts and experienced employees will be increasingly required to work alongside AI, judging the quality of its output and the appropriateness of its use.
McKinsey, a globally recognized management consultancy, argues that humans will still have to check the work of AI to ensure it is correct and accurate. So, maintaining and fostering our abilities to write, validate sources and ensure the quality of our work remains essential. Considering the errors that AI can and does make, AI is best used for well-defined, job and company specific tasks such as searching through proprietary data. It is vital that we maintain and foster our creative and critical thinking abilities and not blindly trust AI with such important tasks.
McMaster’s new guidelines’ continued focus on teaching core skills is best suited to creating knowledgeable experts, ready to excel at tasks they are assigned and who understand where AI might help their work and the importance of verifying the accuracy of AI's outputs. Additionally the new guidelines’ promotion of the long, repetitive process of learning will create students prepared for a workforce defined by lifelong learning.
I believe McMaster’s current guidelines, old-school as they are, are in fact the best model for creating students ready to work alongside AI, regardless of how it may develop. Anyone can write a prompt for Chat-GPT, only well educated experts will be truly prepared for the work leftover.
I don’t know what I want to do after undergrad, but I’ve come to learn a few things from it
Graphic By Esra Rakab / Production Coordinator
Back in Grade 12, when I was applying to university, I applied to 11 different programs — all in science or engineering. I was uncertain about what exactly I wanted to do and what university I wanted to go to, but I was sure that I wanted to do something within the STEM field (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Fast forward to September 2017 and I had officially started my undergraduate degree in health sciences at McMaster University.
Although I still had an interest in engineering and other programs like kinesiology, I thought that health sciences was a good fit due to its flexibility with electives. In addition, I had considered becoming a doctor — and didn’t most people in this program become a doctor? While I was right about the latter, the idea of becoming a doctor was only an idea that was floating around in my brain at the moment.
However, things came up. I realized that medical school, unfortunately, wasn’t accessible to disabled students. So what was next on my list? To be honest, when I came to this realization in my first and second years, I wasn’t sure what was next. But I had the rest of my undergraduate degree ahead of me, so I shouldn’t have to worry about it, right?
Unfortunately for me, I was very worried. It seemed as if everyone in my program knew exactly what they were going to do — they were going to be a doctor. They were going to write their medical college admissions test after their second year and apply to medical schools in their third. If they didn’t get in that year, they’d apply in their fourth year.
Unfortunately for me, I was very worried. It seemed as if everyone in my program knew exactly what they were going to do — they were going to be a doctor.
To be surrounded by people who know exactly what they want to do when you’re just struggling to have your head above water is terrifying. I felt the need to still take courses I didn’t like in order to maintain a high grade point average (just in case I changed my mind about med school, of course). All I wanted to have was some sort of stability, some goal to aspire to. If that wasn’t med school, then I wanted to know what career I would be pursuing.
The thing is, I hadn’t been sure of pursuing any career — even in high school, I was so uncertain of what program I wanted to do. I picked health sciences on a whim. So by now, you think I would be okay with uncertainty, right?
Uncertainty is still hard for me. Not knowing what goal to pursue can be scary for many people. But, I’m going to graduate very soon and my perspective has changed a lot. Although I’m still coming to terms with being okay with uncertainty, I have learned a couple of things.
The first thing is: do things because you enjoy them. Take courses you enjoy, not because you think you should take them. Don’t take that microeconomics course if it’s not what you’re really interested in doing. Take courses that you like, even if they aren’t “a part of” your program.
The first thing is — do things because you enjoy them. Take courses you enjoy, not because you think you should take them.
I took an English course this year because I thought it looked interesting, not because it was a requirement for a potential career. While it is important to look out for your future, doing prerequisites isn’t the be-all end-all.
The English course I took ended up being one of my favourite courses I’ve taken and led me to meet a really cool instructor that I actually met to talk about potentially pursuing a master’s degree in English. By taking a course I enjoyed, I opened a career path I may not have considered before now.
Secondly, it’s okay to not have your future mapped out. If you decide you don’t want to become a certain profession, even if you have it all planned out and are about to graduate, it’s okay to change your mind. Don’t go into something because you feel pressured by your parents or other students.
Secondly, it’s okay to not have your future mapped out. If you decide you don’t want to become a certain profession, even if you have it all planned out and are about to graduate, it’s okay to change your mind.
I don’t know, maybe I still will become a doctor. I don’t know what lies ahead in my future. I’ve considered occupational therapy, physiotherapy, law, becoming a professor, social work, nursing, journalism and more.
My idea of what I want to do changes very frequently, but that’s okay because I want to take my time so that I’m 100 per cent certain that I like my future career. Even if my mind changes after I enter a certain profession, though, that’s okay too.
Being okay with uncertainty is hard, but sometimes uncertainty helps you figure out what you truly want to do. We should learn to embrace uncertainty more — after all, it’s completely normal not to know what you want to do.
When I was 16 years old, I told my parents that I wanted to be a journalist.
They hated that, obviously, and I don’t blame them. Why would they want their kid to go into a (their words) dying field? Especially one that has been at a low point for the past ten years.
Over the past decade, the number of jobs in newsrooms have dropped by 45 per cent. In the past month alone, major news companies have laid off major portions of their staff. BuzzFeed’s recent layoffs amounted to 15 per cent of its total staff, equating to about 1,100 employees around the world, Vice recently announced that it would lay off 10 per cent of their workforce and Verizon announced that it would cut 7 per cent of its headcount, around 800 people, from its media unit, which includes HuffPost, Yahoo and AOL.
Many have blamed these cuts on the shift to digital media, and while there is incredible opportunity with moving a news product online, the fight for advertising revenue is the biggest culprit in this. At the beginning of February, Facebook reported that it had made $16.6 billion in ad sales in the fourth quarter of 2018.
We all fell for high-quality video work, online exclusive articles and more recently, sponsored articles, to get ahead of cuts like this. However, if a company like BuzzFeed, who literally created a platform exclusively for online content, couldn’t keep up with the digital shift, then who can?
These numbers alone feel like enough to convince young journalists to steer away from pursuing their dream jobs, but to make matters worse, the Ontario Progressive Conservative party’s recent move to make ancillary fees optional can also be taken as a major attack on student publications.
As many post-secondary schools in Ontario are without a journalism program, student news rooms are most students’ first, if not only, taste at journalism. These cuts are devastating, and ultimately signal an end of an extremely long era.
If these cuts signal anything, it’s that the future of journalism is feeling more bleak than ever, especially to those who are just entering the field.
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Aquarius (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19):
If you had a dollar for every MSU/faculty event you were invited to on Facebook, you’d have nothing, because you have no friends and you deactivated Facebook.
Pisces (Feb. 20 - Mar. 20):
For St. Patrick’s Day, be sure to dress up as a drunk Irish fish. You are more connected to this day of the year than 99% of the people at the party.
Aries (March 21 - April 20):
As Drake sang, “It’s [your] birthday, [you’ll] get high if you want to.” You’ll write the shit out of your paper — that is to say, it will be shit.
Taurus (Apr. 21 - May 21):
Stop telling people you like the rain. Who do you think you are? The Weather Girls? It’s gross and damp and moist.
Gemini (May 22 - Jun. 21):
People asking about your thesis? Be sure to lie and say you’re screwed, because the conversation succumbs to an awkward death if you say you’re prepared.
Cancer (Jun. 22 - Jul. 23):
You were a victim of cuffing season and you’re about to get dropped like it’s hot. Better dig out that copy of Bridget Jones’ Diary.
Leo (July 24 - Aug. 23):
So you think wearing a sweatsuit to your test shows you’re funny and don’t give a crap? You know what they say – dress for the grade you want.
Virgo (Aug. 24 - Sept. 23):
Work work work work work work. You see me doing work work work work work. Something tells me Rihanna would make a great fortune teller.
Libra (Sept. 24 - Oct. 23):
For Battle of the Bands, be sure to bring a pan to the fight — they play it pretty loose with what counts as a percussion instrument.
Scorpio (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22):
Turns out you weren’t ready for the consequences of Super Tuesday, but you should have known that eating 20 pieces of KFC on Toonie Tuesday would make you sharf.
Sagittarius (Nov. 23 - Dec. 21):
Got a midterm coming up? Break a leg. Literally. It works even if you used your MSAF earlier this semester.
Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 20):
You’re quite similar to Steph Curry actually, in that you will consistently score threes … out of 12 on your courses.
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By: Rob Hardy
With society having been in the digital age for about two decades now, we are not unschooled in the many problems that technology can bring, along with its purported conveniences. But with the explosive outreach of global communication and new smartphone apps every day, old problems are multiplying and morphing, while new ones are also rearing their ugly heads.
Viruses, Malware and Spyware are expanding their reach
It might seem all dandy that we have a plethora of tech options these days but the more avenues for digital plug-ins, the more opportunities for malicious programs to reach us. And with the number of devices most people have today, these problems now also easily spread to all of them, forcing us to debug not just our computers but phones and tablets as well.
Everything is becoming “linked in”
It feels convenient to have your Facebook linked to your email linked to your phone linked to everything else. But when our goals are to diligently divide our casual selves from a more cultivated professional image, sharing anything can cross paths and wind up on the wrong platform, clashing disastrously.
More automation means more to manage
Things going online have become a no-brainer that has made life convenient — until everything else did as well. Accessing your bank account, messages and grad school application on-the-go is a breeze, but multiply these online accounts by ten and suddenly having dozens of passwords, secret questions and website policies to keep up with is anything but effortless.
Even toasters are about to go digital
It's being sold as wonderful that we can now run our heating and home-security systems by using a smartphone. As the presence of these devices in our homes becomes normalizes, we are not paying enough attention to the security and privacy issues that arise. And fixing them will be hopelessly more elusive when they break down, as their very functionality depends on their electronic rather than mechanical components.
Meeting people often happens online
Gone are the days when we always met people face to face. Whether we are looking for employees or dating partners, we now demand to screen profiles so that abstract judgments can be made on whether to bother meeting for real. In this way, the days of scary science fiction have arrived. Don't like that “creepy” person on the bus? Just pretend that you need to text. It's a neat way to avoid unwanted interactions until you find yourself on the receiving end.
Advanced technology is disposable
It's ironic that with all the technological advances, things last for a much shorter time. And when even “advanced warranties” lapse after a few short years, it's clear the company is telling you that whatever you are buying will break very quickly. Television sets used to last for 30 years — I still have one that works great. The future, however, is a landfill overflowing with broken electronics we have to perpetually replace, if we can even afford to do so.
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I’m reaching the end of my degree. This will be the last semester of my undergraduate, and the first question that everyone but my cat wants the answer to is “where are you working after you graduate?” So on the cusp of graduation I have one honest recommendation for anyone looking for work: stop listening to almost everything people tell you about your future.
I fully recognize the irony in writing an article advising you to stop listening to advice, so instead let me tell you that all advice is not created equal. You need to be wary of who is giving you guidance and how applicable it really is. Traditional places we might look for help — friends, families, teachers — might not be as helpful as you’d hoped. Anyone who hasn’t had to job search in the last ten years is likely unable to tell you how to overcome our chronic job shortage. There is a reason why our parents’ generation often advised us to get an undergraduate degree and find a steady job with benefits and a retirement package. In their time it was not uncommon to secure a career in one industry, often with a single employer. Instead, our generation will be faced with multiple careers and more jobs than we can count, shaped by an ever-changing marketplace.
So if we can’t take advice from past generations, where can we turn? Googling “career tips” returns a huge number of results, but you should also be wary of taking advice from articles online. While tips on how to write a professional email or acquiring a business casual wardrobe may be helpful, don’t mistake that advice for anything that will help you stand out in a crowd — and there will be a crowd, because for every job that is publicly posted there are going to be a flock of applicants. Be wary of advice that is available to everyone, because at best it will help you conform in the market, and at worst make you forgettable.
Another thing to be critical of are buzzwords. I am firmly convinced that anyone who tells you to develop a “personal brand” doesn’t fully know what that means either. Take phrases like “personal elevator pitch”, “networking” and “rapid skill acquisition” with a grain of salt. If you can’t understand advice because it is wrapped in ambiguous or esoteric language, it is probably not going to be very useful to you anyway.
Be especially suspicious of advice that doesn’t take privilege and oppression into account. As study after study confirms what we already knew — that women and people of color are considered to be less qualified and are less likely to be hired — telling someone to “follow their dreams” ignores the fact that pursuing a career in your desired field is much easier for some than others. The best thing you can do instead is seek out advice tailored to your situation. If you can, look for someone you admire in your field with similar life experiences and reach out to them for guidance. You would be surprised how willing people are to mentor the enthusiastic and give you advice you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere. If there is no one like you in your chosen field, just be prepared for a potentially longer and more arduous job search.
Be wary of advice that is available to everyone, because at best it will help you conform in the market, and at worst make you forgettable.
So after telling you what advice not to follow, let me give you the advice that has worked best for me: focus on yourself. Often times finding a job is an exercise in ego; we are constantly trying to prove to potential employers that we are worth their time and money. You need to see the value in your own work, otherwise how will anyone else see it too? Not everything you do will be groundbreaking, but take the time to appreciate your own improvement, and strive to get better at what you want to do. As best as you can, demand fair pay for your work, and don’t compare yourself to your friends or coworkers because it isn’t going to be helpful. Don’t let other people dictate what your career is going to look like, because at the end of the day you are the one accountable for your work.
Photo Credit: Corbis Images
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By: Sunanna Bhasin/Opinions Columnist
It came up during my literature class, this idea of living provisionally.
As it was described, I felt somewhat enlightened. There were suddenly words I could use to explain the feeling that I, and many of you, have experienced and may still experience too often. It is the feeling of dread that what you’re doing doesn’t interest you. You look forward to the weekend because as soon as it arrives, you can relax and do what you really want. In some cases, this can’t be helped. We all have those hectic weeks full of midterms and assignments that make us pray for a break. Just a few more days, and it’ll be Reading Week. Just one more month, and the term will be over. But this can be unhealthy if it becomes our entire month, or even worse, our entire year.
Ever hear students say: “Once I finish my undergrad, complete med school, and do my residency, then I can relax and live the life that I want?” It’s almost too common. Multiple people in my life used to encourage me to pursue med school, and when I showed any sort of uncertainty, they’d simply say, “think about how amazing your life will be when the schooling is over.” I never questioned the idea of living provisionally until I was introduced to the language that allowed me to talk about it, and then challenge it. Unless I enjoy the journey, why should I suffer for years doing something I get zero pleasure from only to reap financial benefits in the end?
University may not be the cliché “best time of your life,” but it should be a good time nonetheless — a time for personal growth, learning, and dare I say it, even some fun. For the first year and a half at McMaster, all I could think about was graduation and how much of a relief it would be to get out. Looking back, I know it was because I didn’t care for a few of my courses and because I may have been experiencing an identity crisis.
Now is the time for us to explore various subjects and join extracurricular activities that we want to be part of, not just because we need to fulfill a certain requirement for the next stage in our life. Spoiler alert: sometimes they go hand in hand.
Of course there’ll be times when you’ll find you’re overwhelmed and only want to live for the weekend, but I hope you’ll find a good balance that’ll allow you to take on university with a smile on your face, with a love for what you’re doing, and a purpose and sense of belonging. It could take a while to get there, and sometimes you may find that it’s easier to keep your eyes on your feet and continue on a path that you don’t necessarily find worthwhile, without looking up and re-evaluating your situation.
But I can guarantee that you’ll find your time at school to be much more fulfilling when you’re happy and in a space that you want to be in. So if you’re considering switching programs, but the hassle is stopping you, it won’t compare to being in a program that doesn’t fit your interests. If you’re dying to try a new extracurricular but are scared of taking the first step – do it. I wouldn’t be at The Silhouette if I hadn’t just made up my mind and stuck to it. It could change your entire university experience for the better. So please, dear students don’t settle. Don’t settle for monotony if you find that’s where you’re stuck. Don’t settle for provisional living.
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What a time to be alive indeed. If you’re not a corny old-head who thinks the height of rapping is astute grasp lyricism, your favourite rappers right now are probably Future and Drake. With the pair coming off of absolutely massive years in which their only competition has been each other, it makes sense that they’d pool their star power together link up for a full-length project.
Although Drake was effusive in his praise for Future at OVO Fest, no one could have seen this one coming and the internet was thrown into a frenzy by the announcement. Recorded in a week in Atlanta, What A Time To Be Alive bears the marks of its impromptu creation, but still boasts a fair bit of quality.
Whenever Drake has linked up with Future on tracks like “Tony Montana” and “Shit,” the pair’s joint efforts have always seemed a tad disjointed. While getting in the studio together may have brought them closer as friends, it hasn’t helped their scant chemistry in the booth. Certifiable stars in their own respective lanes, when the two get together on a track it can sometimes feel forced.
Take the mixtape opener, “Digital Dash.” Future immediately entrances listeners with some mumbled lyrics and ad-libs, but we’re left waiting for Drake’s verse, which is slotted into the last minute. “Big Rings” is quite awkward at best, with Drake drowning in the swells of the beat and his own shoddy hook.
Things pick up on “Live From The Gutter,” where the two MC’s seem to find their rhythm before they absolutely crush the next song, “Diamonds Dancing.” It’s the first track that seems them working in tandem rather than just tacking on their own bars to the end.
Perhaps an ode to Drake’s deal with Jordan, “Jumpman” is the clear standout of the mixtape and not just because of Metro Boomin’s insane production. The song boasts amazing one-liners like “chicken wings and fries, we don’t go on dates” and “jumpman” is really fun to say consecutively.
WATTBA is not without its flaws, but they are more ideological than technical. Both rappers will remain problematic favourites for their fans, with the pair still degrading women to no end. In many a way, they have both risen to mainstream fame via their misogyny; Drake with the boo-hoo nice-guy simping that has made millions of bros believe the friend zone is a thing, and Future with more rampant hatred like the pettiness found on Monster, the mixtape he made following his very public breakup with Ciara (see “Throw Away” for a brilliantly tortured five-minute summary of their relationship).
We must also must have willingness to listen to the black male experience and attempt to understand where there pain is coming from rather than just critique how it is expressed. Very often, the angst that they are misguidedly dumping upon the women in their lives is motivated by familial and financial loss. One only has to look to “Blow A Bag”, a single from Future’s Dirty Sprite 2 to grasp this. On the anthemic track full of boasting, Future takestime in the first verse to expose some of his personal demons: “I know I came from poverty, I got my name from poverty, I know for sure, for sure, if my granddad was livin’, I know he be proud of me.” That said, one can always hope that artists would find a better place to dump their frustrations than on the backs of women who suffer enough at the hands of patriarchal society.
If you can excuse the cringe-worthy chauvinism, you’ll be able to appreciate the few really good bangers that the tape yielded. Think of it less as an album and more of a stocking stuffer to compliment the massive presents that Future and Drake’s full-length solo projects were to music fans this past year.
